Reflecting On Kraft Dinner

I recently received a package from my mother in Canada. In this package there were about 15 boxes of Kraft Dinner. This excited me beyond belief! Then one day after I got the blessed package my friend Natalie returned from Bangkok with two boxes of Kraft Dinner from the foreign food supermarket. So I am now fully stocked on the orange delicacy that so many Canadians hold close to their hearts. My new found K.D. wealth has made me think about why I love this cheap food-like substance so much. I have come up with a few reasons:

1) The colour. The flourescent orange is very striking. You know that this dish cannot be boring. How can any food that glows like plutonium not be exciting.

2) The comfort. I am sure that many Canadians and Americans would agree that eating Kraft Dinner takes them back to their childhood. Back to a time when their mothers did not want to make an actual meal, so they boil up a box of K.D. to shut the kids up for a few hours.

3) The memories. Anyone that has gone to university is probably quite familiar with the blue box. It is the staple diet for most university students, and I don't think that any of those university students really mind. The Barenaked Ladies put it best when they declared that if they had a million dollars they would not have to eat Kraft Dinner anymore, but they would...and they would eat more of it!

4) The convenience. No matter what is happening in your life you can always find ten minutes to boil some water and throw in a box of K.D. It takes no effort or brainpower. Perhaps that is also why it is also a favourite of the stoners.

5) The endless possibiities! Kraft Dinner is not just maccoroni and cheese. If you have any kind of imagination you can turn a simple box of K.D. into a culinary work of art. It can be as simple as adding some vegetables or meat. My personal favourite is to add fried ground beef. But bacon works well too. K.D. also makes a great side dish. It goes well with everything.

So, I hope that I have made you think about the relevance and beauty of Kraft Dinner. If you think that I have neglected to mention something very important about this fine product, then please let me know. Praise Cletus!

Teaching Poetry to Thai Students

Well, first I must say that I thought teaching poetry to my advanced classes was a good idea. That was until I realized that they had never read a poem in their lives. But, I am up for a challenge, so I forged ahead.

Everything was going alright. I taught them about rhymes first, then we moved on to simple haikus. They seemed to really enjoy writing their own haikus. Then we moved on to limericks. They enjoyed the limericks as well, so I thought that it would be a good idea to have them write their own limericks. I gave an example to use as a guide:

There once was a man from Beijing

All his life, he hoped to be king.

So he put on a crown,

Which quickly fell down

That small silly man from Beijing.

Then I gave the students the rest of the class to work on their limericks. They were all getting into it. Asking me how to spell words, and which words rhyme with whatever... At the end of class, I collected the limericks and headed back to the office. I read a few and they were quite cute. Many are about kitties or their friends. Then, I get to the limerick written by Joopjang. She has always been a bit cheeky, but I had no idea! Her limerick goes as follows:

There once was a shit from my ass,

It only wanted to eat some grass.

So it pee-peed in a can

Then the shit hit the fan.

That cute little shit from my ass.

Conclusion...I must be more strict with my guidelines and instructions. Praise Cletus!

Its Winter Festival Time

It is the time of year in Lopburi, Thailand when the city shuts down, and everyone moves to Pibul Wittiyallai School for a winter celebration. Since this is the school where I teach, it means that I get all of next week off.

But, the winter festival has other perks too! I think that the real reason they all converge into one small area is that they want to use their body heat to keep each other warm. Even though we are in Thailand, it can still get quite cool at night in December.

Tobie has moved his entire bar to the festival. But, sadly for him, all of the other bars in town have also moved there. Last night was the first night of the festival, and Tobie did not have many customers. Well, it was just Hannah and me. Not quite what Tobie was hoping for, but hopefully things will pick up tonight.

We think that we may have scared away all of the possible customers. We sat there in the middle of the bar and stared at all of the Thai people walking by. Maybe they thought that if they came into the bar, we would continue to stare. But, we had no choice, there is nothing else to do. The music is so loud that it is not possible to have a conversation.

We asked Tobie why he thought there were no customers and he blamed it on the layout of the tables. I dunno. I guess the place wasn't feng shui enough. The tables and chairs must have been giving off evil vibes.

Anyway, we will be back tonight. We are keeping our fingers crossed that there will be more people. The two of us can only entertain each other for so long. Praise Cletus!

Loy Kratong Festival Is...

It is Loy Kratong time here in Thailand. It is the time of year when Thai people give thanks to the water, or maybe pay respect to dead family members, or....ummm... I have no idea what this festival is about. I do know that everyone wears silly hats. They make little boats out of banana leaves and decorate them with flowers and candles. Then, after dark they light the candles and float the little boats down the river. Basically, it is an excuse for the entire country to have a big party.

So, when in Rome... We will be celebrating Tobie's birthday tonight. There will be a barbecue, and I'm sure there will be many drunk people. A normal Saturday night in Lopburi. Praise Cletus!!!

My First Time

So, I have finally done it. I am creating a blog. Not really because I want to, but because it is easier than sending seperate emails to everyone. It is going to take a while before there is anything of interest on here. I am still teaching myself how to do this.

So, that concludes my first official blog post. I hope you have been entertained, and I hope that you have taken something from this post that will help you in your own life. Praise Cletus!!!